Support for curtains or blinds



N9. 507,266. Patented Oct. 24, 1893.

f ayi- UNI ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN FRALEY, OF MOKEESPORT, PENNSYLVANIA.

SUPPORT FOR CURTAINS OR BLIND S.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 507,266, dated October 24, 1893.

Application filed March 23, 1893- Serial No. 467,353. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JOHN FRALEY, a resident of McKeesport, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have in venteda new and useful Improvement in Supports for Curtains or Blinds; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to supports for ourtains or blinds, its object being to provide a form of support which will be firm and secure, and one which will not lose its firmness as in the case of the ordinary form of support heretofore commonly employed, which depended chiefly for support upon screws or nails engaging with the wooden frame-work of the window. Where screws or nails are employed to secure the supports in place, the

weight of the curtains or blinds, together with the sudden jerks to which said supports are subjected in arranging the curtains or adjusting the blinds at different heights, will act to loosen said screws or nails and so destroy the firmness and security of the sup-v ports. Again, where such supports have become loose and have been removed and replaced to obtain a firm support, the woodwork of the window frames at those points becomes perforated with screw or nail holes and it is practically impossible to obtain a hold for the screws or nails, while at the same time these holes and the screwing of the screws or hammering of the nails disfigures the woodwork.

The purpose of my invention, therefore, is to obviate these difficulties and it comprises, generally stated, clamps or corner pieces engaging with the frame-work at the upper corners thereof, said clamp or corner piece havin g aslot formed therein, and a series of openings parallel therewith, and brackets engaging with said slot and openings and movable thereon, whereby said brackets may be adjusted at a greater distance from each other or brought into closer proximity as may be desired.

Myinvention further comprises certain details and improvements all of which will be fully hereinafter set forth and claimed.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a frontview of a window frame partly broken away having my improved ourtain or blind support applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a side view thereof. Fig. 3 is an enlarged front view of the clamps and their connection. Fig. etisaperspective View of one of the clamps removed showing the interior thereof. Fig. 5 is a section on line 55, Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the bracket for sup porting the blind; and Fig. 7 isa like view of the curtain bracket.

Like letters indicate like parts in each of the figures.

As it is often desirable to hang curtains, as well as blinds at the same window, and as my invention may be conveniently employed in such cases, I have illustrated it with that idea in view, although it is apparent that my invention is applicable to cases where ourtains or blinds are used separately.

In the drawings a represents the top crosspiece and b the uprights of the frame-work of a window. Engaging with the upper corners of the cross-piece a are the clamps or corner pieces 0 c, said clamps being formed of suitable metalhavin g the requisite strength. Each of the clamps consists of the top cl, the end e and the frontf, so that when said clamps are in position, as shown in Fig. 1, the top (1 will rest on the top of the cross piece a of the frame-work, the end (2 will be in contact with the uprights b and the front f restsin contact with the front face of the top cross-piece a. In this manner the clamps are adapted to engage with and fit snugly on the upper corners of the frame-work, In order to clamp said clamps c c firmly in place to prevent their slipping from their positions, said clamps are formed with the lugs g having the openings it formed therein through which passes the connecting rod t'. This rod 11 is provided at one end with the head it, the opposite end of said rod being threaded and engaged by a thumb nut Z. By this construction when the clamps c e have been fitted on the corners of the frame-work, in the manner described, by screwing up the thumb nut l the clamps c 0' will be drawn toward each other. -With the ends e of said clamps c c in engagement with the uprights b of the frame-work,it is apparent that as the said clamps are brought into closer proximity to each other they will be the more securely clamped in place. The rod '6 may be omitted and said clamps may be held in place by other means. For example, an opening may be made in the top at to receive a nail or screw to secure said clamps in place. of the clamp, the space around said slot on the inner face of the front fbeing rabbeted as designated by the letter 01. The head 0 of a pin or bolt 19 fits in this rabbeted portion n while the shank thereof passes through said slot m.

As stated, I have illustrated my invention inconnection with its application to a window where it is desired to hang both curtains and blinds, and consequently it is necessary to employ-two sets of brackets, one set to support the curtain rod and the otherto support the blind rod. These brackets maybe of any suitable construction, the brackets for the curtains projecting out beyond the brackets for the-blinds as it is customary to havethe blinds next to the window. The curtain brackets consist ofthe arms qsupporting the curved extension q for receiving the curtain pole The arms q have the tongues 1' formed thereon, said tongues being provided with openings .9. The blind brackets t have the projecting arm t with bearings formed therein to receive the ends of the blind roller a; Each blind bracket is provided with an opening 11 and a teat v. The frontf of the clamp is provided with a series of openings 20 parallel with the slot m. 1

To secure the bracketsin place, the curtain bracket is first arranged with its openings s coincident with the slot m and with the pin or-bolt 19 passing through the opening coincident with the slot m. The bracket t for supporting the blind roller isthen arranged between the arms (1 of the curtain bracket, the pin' or bolt 19 passing through the opening 2; while the nut a: holds the brackets securely in place. The teat 4) passes through the lower opening .9 of the curtain bracket and then A slot 'm is formed in the front) into one of the series of openings 5. By this arrangement the brackets may be readily broughtinto closer proximity to each other or placed farther apart, it only being necessary to loosen the nut 02 sufficiently to allow the head 0 of the bolt or pin 19 to slide in the rabbeted guide a and release the teat '0' from engagement with one of the openings 8, when said brackets may be secured at difierent positions with reference to each other. This is a great advantage as the curtain poles and blind rollers can thus be made to fit different window frames without reducing their length. When the nut 00 is tightened up, it clamps the bracket firmly in place so that it remains rigid and does not work loose.

My invention can be used with great advantage where iron window frames are employed, as in the case of fire-proof buildings, as the clamps may be easily secured thereto. What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a curtain or blind support, a clamp or corner-piece constructed to engage with the corner of the framework, said clamp or corner piece having a slot formed therein and a series of openingsparallel therewith, abracket engaging with said slot and openings and movable thereon, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a curtain or blind support, a clamp or corner piece constructed to engage with the corner of the frame-work, said clamp or 001'- ner-piece having a slot formed therein, a series of openings parallel therewith, said slot havinga rabbeted edge, a pin or bolt engaging with said slot, a bracket engaged by said pin or bolt, said bracket havingateat formed thereon adapted to engage with said open: Figs, substantially as and forthepurposesset orth.

In testimony whereof I, the said JOHN FRA- LEY, have hereunto set my hand. i

JOHN FRALEY.

Witnesses:

J. A. MELLINGER, R. S. LATTA. 

